Moving Toward Balance is a reminder that (in my experience) we never really achieve balance, but we can always keep moving toward it -- so, hey! stop being so hard on yourself if you're not perfect (yet...?).

January 30, 2008

Breast Massage...

Breast massage. This phrase rarely evokes mild reactions from people.
Clients are either immediately curious, or shocked and quite sure that
it is not for them. Whatever your own response, breasts are body
tissues with their own specific wellness needs, and they do reap
benefits from regular massage (either through self-massage or from a
therapist). While therapeutic breast massage will not be for all women,
I wanted to share the principles behind it as an important part of
breast care.

A Cultural Discomfort with our Own Breasts. A
quick search online for "breast massage" yields mixed results:
therapeutic offerings for women with breast cancer peppered with
pornographic videos. Another few searches through an online medical
journal databse reveal that references to breast massage are only as
post-operative treatments for women recovering from breast cancer. Like
much of our modern medicine, breast care is limited to dealing with
disease and does little for prevention and wellness. While this is our
North American reality, I would argue that perhaps this is not
necessarily the case worldwide. In fact, I can report anecdotally that
the vast majority of the clients who have come into my office
requesting breast massage have been women who are either immigrants to
the US, or whose families are bicultural. In fact, some of my European
clients (not all) have noted that breast massage is a regular part of a
massage treatment in their home country.

In our culture,
breasts are extremely sexualized, and any public display can be quite
unsettling -- just think of the breastfeeding mother kicked off a Delta
Airlines flight last year. Sometimes women feel - or are directly told
- that their breasts are not their own: breasts are for our lovers, for
our babies, for fashion. They are held up against often impossible,
cultural ideals of shape, size, firmness and texture. They can be a
source of pleasure and power for some, and a source of unwanted sexual
attention and vulnerability for others. They are a deep source of shame
for some maturing girls who either try desperately to enhance their
small breasts or conversely roll their shoulders forward in attempt to
hide their suddenly ample bosoms. They are squeezed into all sorts of
restrictive garments, depending on the occasion. Many women's breasts
are altered surgically and are left with scar tissue and pain - whether
the surgery was for cosmetic reasons, or medical for biopsies and
lumpectomies, or removed altogether. For all these complexities, many
of us are uncomfortable with our own breasts. And despite the positive
attention given to breast cancer education and research over the past
few years, many of us are still hesitant to do monthly
self-examinations - never sure of the difference between healthy
breasts (with cysts and fibrous tissues), and more ominous signs.
Afraid of confronting the dark specter of breast cancer, some women
avoid their breasts all together.

A little more on breast tissue...Breasts
are body tissues with their own wellness needs. The breasts have no
muscle tissue, but rather are comprised of fat, glandular tissue and
ligament support structures. This tissue is in a constant state of flux
- even during our monthly cycles as our bodies prepare for potential
pregnancies. Our breasts go through dramatic changes during pregnancy
and lactation, more than doubling in size for some women. And, as we
age and move toward and through menopause, our breasts also continue to
change as the glandular tissue is replaced by collagen structures, and
eventually by fatty tissue. During these shifts in the breast tissue,
many women experience pain, tenderness or other discomforts, as well as
develop benign conditions ranging from fibrous tissue to cysts.

One
key element to maintaining breast health is maintaining optimal
circulation and lymph flow in our breast tissue. Not only do most of us
limit this critical circulation from the constant use of restrictive
garments, but most of our daily activities in our culture leave our
bodies tight and constricted through the chest region (driving,
computer and phone usage, etc.). The lymph system is an important part
of our immune system - helping detoxify the body and distribute immune
cells. And while other parts of our bodies use muscular contractions
and movement to pump the lymph along, the breasts have no such option.
Given this, any assistance with optimizing lymphatic movement and
circulation in our breast tissues is an important part of breast
wellness. Breast massage and stretching are a few important ways you
can help counteract the impact of these constant restrictions on
circulatory flow in your breasts.

Breast Massage. Breast
massage can be performed by you or by a therapist. Below are just some
of the major reasons women seek breast massage treatments (See Debra Curties for more) :

reduction in congestion, edema and lymphedema

help with becoming more comfortable with post-surgical changes

education on self examination and self massage

minimizing restrictions from surgical scars

reduction of tenderness and congestion related to involution and benign breast conditions

addressing own goals of becoming more comfortable with their breasts.

In
a breast massage treatment, the therapist will work first to release
some of the muscular restriction in the pectoral girdle, particularly
to the pectoralis muscles. This is followed by a general circulation
inducing strokes around the breasts (including over the breast bone and
rib cage), and then very gentle kneading of breast tissue. Depending on
the client's comfort level, one or both breasts are uncovered during
the procedure, or both remain fully covered and the massage is
performed through a sheet or lightweight clothing. At no time are the
highly charged nipple and areola touched by the therapist. For some
women who continue to be uncomfortable with the idea of having their
breasts exposed or touched, another helpful option is to learn
self-massage techniques from your therapist.

Safety and Comfort. Now,
of course, some of you at this point are quite curious about breast
massage, and others are a little bit shocked, and are quite certain
this is not for you. Please know that breast massage is never a part of
a regular massage. It must be requested by the client prior to each
session, and requesting it one time does not establish a precedent that
it will be part of all subsequent treatments. Your privacy and
emotional safety are always the utmost priority in any session. Trust
and clear communication must be established between the client and
therapist.

If you are interested in learning more about breast massage or self massage for your breasts, please let me know.